Richard Strike
Appearance Richard stands at 5 feet 8 inches tall with a slightly thin body frame. His hair is jet black and sticks out in natural spikes. His eyes are the color brown. Richard keeps his face well shaved except near the chin, where he is attempting to grow a small beard. For clothing Richard prefers to wear a brown long coat, with a blue Crimin brand shirt with the logo in bright yellow worn underneath. On his forehead he wears a blue bandana with yellow stripes to hide an scar he suffered during the Battle of Shimotsuki. He carries his swords on his back or under his coat depending on what he feels like. Personality Richard is a level headed person compared to his cousin. Where Valen would rush in recklessly, Richard prefers a steady approach. Richard has a lighthearted sense of humor and always has a humorous quip at the ready. Like his cousin, Richard is a strong willed person who rarely gives up without a fight. This will is further fueled by his guilt from failing to protect Valen's family, driving him to become stronger with nearly as much zeal and ferocity as Valen. Like his cousin, Richard enjoys fighting, though to a somewhat lesser extent and avoiding a fight is his typical course of action. Richard is also a bit of a flirt. His first reaction when faced with a pretty woman is to immediately hit on her, though after getting to know them he falls back into playful banter and teasing. Richard claims to be able to sense the spirit of a sword. He can tell the nature of a swordsman simply by the "feeling" their blade projects. He claims this helps him when forging new swords, as he can match the swordsman with the blade. Because of this he takes great pride in his skill as a blacksmith. Fighting Style Like Valen, Richard is a proficient user of both one and two swords. Though he can use both styles, Richard prefers to use Ittoryu when fighting, as it lets him use more power and frees up his other hand. Unlike Valen, who's style typically focuses on aggression and ferocity, Richard prefers a more defensive style, utilizing tight circles and motions for maximum defensive coverage before counterattacking. This allows him to better withstand a drawn out fight with a strong opponent as he can avoid taking damage by blocking or deflecting his opponent's attacks. History Richard Strike grew up on Shimotsuki Island in the East Blue. As his father was the head of the local dojo he learned the basics of swordplay at a young age and when his cousin, Valen, joined to study under the dojo the two began a fierce yet friendly rivalry over who was the better swordsman. The two would constantly strive to beat the other in countless duels, yet every time they fought it always ended in a draw. Richard also became friends with Mia when he was age 12, as he grew older he constantly attempted to "woo" her, though every time he was rejected. Richard also studied the art of smithing under his uncle, Valen's father, eventually becoming one of the island's most proficient blacksmiths. At age 19, Richard participated in the Battle of Shimotsuki alongside Valen and Mia. Though eventually Valen was forced to retreat to protect Mia, Richard remained behind and fought to defend their home. Near the end of the battle, Richard discovered that some pirates had broken into Valen's home and immediately rushed to fight them off. However Richard was ambushed the moment he entered the building and beaten within an inch of his life before being forced to watch as they killed Valen's mother and father after robbing the place. Afterwards, when the battle had ended, Richard was the one to inform Valen of his parents deaths. However the despair and shame of being so helpless tore at him and he couldn't bring himself to tell his cousin of his failure to protect them, inadvertently causing it to appear that they had died alone. When Richard later realized this and learned Valen blamed himself for their deaths, the guilt only grew worse. Locking himself away in isolation, Richard refused Valen's offer to go out to sea and remained behind on Shimotsuki Island. One day, Richard learned that Valen had earned himself as a bounty and had successfully formed his own pirate crew. Realizing the lengths Valen would go to avenge his family, Richard immediately set out to sea to find him and join his crew, both to protect Valen and to atone for his own guilt. Themes Trivia *It was Richard who forged Valen's black swords after his original pair were broken in a duel. He considers the blades his finest work.